Undersecretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Baqeri said that the new proposals presented by the Group 5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) are close to some of Iran's views.

"It seems that the result of the meeting has been positive," Baqeri said on Thursday.

"The new proposal of the G5+1 group (Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States plus Germany) is closer to some of our views," Baqeri, who is also Iran's deputy chief negotiator, added.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi described the recent talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 as positive and a milestone in negotiations with the world powers.

"From the latest information I received, I'm happy to say that the outcome of the meeting was positive, that it has been put on the right track and it is moving in the right direction, and that is important," Salehi said at the 5th United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Global Forum in Vienna on Wednesday.

"I would say things are taking a turning point, and I think the Almaty meeting will be a milestone," the Iranian foreign minister stated.

The last round of the fresh talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 ended in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday.

During the talks Iran and the world powers agreed to hold an experts meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 17-18 and then continue their talks at the level of their top negotiators in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on April 5-6.

Before Almaty talks, Iran and the G5+1 have already held three rounds of negotiations in Geneva, two rounds in Istanbul, one round in Baghdad and one round in Moscow. The last round of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 was held in Moscow in June.
mehr/281

News ID 184361